Think Tank TurnStyle 20 Review

The kind folks at Think Tank provided me a TurnStyle 20 camera bag to review. There were no strings attached but I wanted to be upfront about how I acquired it.

When I first received it my initial thought was "wow - that is a great looking bag!" The color is pleasant and the bag is sleek and stylish in my opinion. Here are a couple images to illustrate. (The gear described below is already inside so you can see it is still stylish when loaded.)

My second thought was, how the heck am I going to fit my personal lens trinity into it? See for yourself. This has a Tamron 70-200/2.8 VC on the left, my D800 with a mounted Tamron 24-70/2.8 and a Sigma 12-24 HSM II on the right - all with hoods. Everything fit comfortably!

I discovered my first little annoyance. The top of the bag, or right side of the image above, is wasted space because the bag narrows. I'd love to have another smaller divider to keep a small items like batteries secure.

With the D800 removed, you can see that there is a pocket inside the main section. I use it for a filter wallet as shown below.

Let's move on to the additional storage areas. There is a small area for a tablet on the back of the TurnStyle 20. My iPad Air with a small case fits snuggly. Without the case, it slides in and out easily. Think Tank also provides a rain cover as shown.

Continuing with the exterior. Here is my first suggestions for the next version. The front pocket zipper should follow the same pattern as the main storage area and unzip along the bottom of the TurnStyle 20. As it stand now, it is narrow and not as useful as it could have been.

This bag holds a lot more than you think. The gear I have in it is not lightweight which makes me a little uneasy about the grip handle on top. Aesthetically it "fits" the bag but I wonder if a more substantial handle would be more practical?

Bottom line, this is a great bag for a day out shooting with a DSLR and a traditional trinity of lenses. The sling works well, distributes weight nicely and flat out looks nice. Another great bag by Think Tank!

I'm into travel photography. One thing I'm always concerned about is easily having a name plate or tag on my bag and how to secure the contents. I think eBags has an elegant solution for both that I'd love to see Think Tank incorporate. On the first image below, you'll see the the zipper pulls on the TurnStyle 20. Pretty standard design. Compare it to the second and third images - the zippers incorporate eyelets and then bag has a permanent loop to secure it even further. On the middle image, you can also see that there is a mesh ID card that is only accessible from the interior of the bag. I wish all bags used this approach!

With airlines limiting carry-on bags, I couldn't use just this bag if I needed to take my laptop, chargers, etc. However, the size and sleekness turns out to be an advantage. I carry this bag in a 40 liter backpack while in transit with plenty of room to spare and travel lite when we arrive. Love it!!

Re: Think Tank TurnStyle 20 Review

I finally had an opportunity to use the Think Tank TurnStyle 20 for an extended period and wanted to update the thread and review. I used the bag over an 11 day straight period and came away extremely impressed.

Positives:

On previous similar trips I had used a camera backpack but found the turnstyle/sling feature much more convenient. I could pivot the bag around and easily and quickly change lenses without having to put it down.

The TurnStyle 20 is small enough to carry inside a larger backpack as shown in the initial post. I was able to carry my laptop, chargers, cables etc in the backpack for transit yet lighten the load during the day.

Areas for improvement:

As noted in the original review, the front pocket zipper pattern would be more useful if it opened further.

I never used the tablet pocket and don't think I would in the future.

No where to carry a water bottle, rain coat, etc.

No way to attach modular components.

Bottom line, this is now my go-to bag for a day of shooting. I'm a convert of the turnstyle/sling approach to carrying my kit. And the bag flat out looks good too.

Last edited by Eduard; 06-01-2015 at 07:27 PM.

"The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it" -Ansel Adams